(Minghui.org) Practitioners often remind each other, “It is of utmost importance to cultivate oneself.” But how are we to achieve this? I had some insights while helping another practitioner overcome her sickness tribulation, which I would like to share with you.
Helping Practitioners Is Cultivating Ourselves
In January 2023 I heard that Awei was admitted to the hospital twice, and was paralyzed and unconscious. I got on my motorcycle and drove 20 miles to her home. Awei was only in her fifties. When I arrived her condition was better than I expected. One side of her body was paralyzed. She was unable to speak, had no strength and had trouble breathing, but she was conscious.
A few years ago, her husband Benchun, passed away after suffering from edema throughout his body. When I heard he was ill, I traveled by motorcycle to their home to read the Fa teachings and send forth righteous thoughts with him, his family members and other practitioners. I stopped visiting when his symptoms subsided, and he was able to eat.
One night I dreamed I was driving a car. Halfway through the journey, I stopped and got out. After Benchun passed away, I realized Master had been trying to tell me to persevere in helping him, and not give up halfway. But I did not realize he still needed help and I thought he would pass the remainder of the tribulation himself.
Every member of Benchun’s family practices Falun Dafa. They also used to produce truth clarification materials for practitioners in the area. The family helped many people in the village. When Benchun had illness symptoms, he refused to go to the hospital, no matter how much his brothers tried to persuade him. His death caused the villagers to develop a negative impression of Falun Dafa.
If we had continued in our efforts, Benchun’s life would have been saved, and the villagers would not think badly of Dafa. Recalling this, I immediately got on my motorcycle and went to Awei’s home. I also contacted fellow practitioners and asked them to help by sending righteous thoughts. I asked those living nearby to visit her and help her.
I analyzed some past cases where practitioners successfully helped others overcome serious sickness tribulations, then I wrote the following for everyone’s reference: “Master is watching over us. We only accept Master’s arrangements and reject any old forces’ arrangement. Helping fellow practitioners is equivalent to rescuing sentient beings. Because every practitioner’s background is not simple, their situation will correlate to the success or failure in saving sentient beings.”
The process of helping fellow practitioners is an opportunity to raise one’s cultivation level. Everything encountered by practitioners is arranged by Master. Fellow practitioners serve as our mirrors. The same attachments we observe in others can also be found within ourselves. Our hearts will invariably be affected in the face of fellow practitioners’ tribulations, and the corresponding attachment can be found by searching within ourselves.
Practitioners’ sickness karma is a false illusion. The interference is nothing and is easily eliminated. In the face of this false illusion, practitioners need to have a steady mind. The old forces take advantage of practitioners’ attachments to intensify their tribulations, in order to destroy their cultivation path and deny salvation to sentient beings around them. Every practitioner is under Master’s care, including those undergoing tribulations. Practitioners should stand together and help one other, in order to break free of the old forces’ arrangements.
Helping Practitioners Find Their Attachments Doesn’t Help
Each afternoon, I traveled the 20 miles by motorcycle to Awei’s home. Her children told me that practitioner Chen had been visiting their home every night, while Deng had been coming by every few days.
Later, more practitioners dropped by to help. Seeing Awei’s condition, some anxiously asked her, “Have you searched within for your attachments?” Over the years we have helped many practitioners deal with sickness karma, by helping them find their attachments, sending righteous thoughts or accompanying them in Fa study. Yet the outcome was never satisfactory.
Dafa’s teachings require us to look inward and cultivate ourselves, but it has become a habit for us to help fellow practitioners find their attachments. It doesn’t align with the Fa, and thus will generate interference from the old forces and worsen fellow practitioners’ tribulations.
Practitioners suffering from sickness karma are already at their limit, suffering in both mind and body. Even if we counsel them with compassion, our words may have a limited effect.
Moreover, practitioners who attempt to help others find their attachments may instead be sending negative thoughts into the dimensional field of the practitioners they intend to help. Each practitioner may observe a different attachment affecting practitioners undergoing tribulations, and these attachments might even be false. It is hard to say whether the identified attachment is truly the root cause of a practitioner’s tribulation.
I recall an article published on the Minghui website, describing how a fellow practitioner overcame sickness tribulation. Initially, fellow practitioners tried to help him find his attachments. Despite their efforts, his illness worsened, and he was admitted to the hospital. A practitioner who had his third eye opened saw a large, gray mountain within his dimensional field. Practitioners realized that they had been searching externally and worsening his tribulation, instead of cultivating themselves.
Everyone looked within and sent pure righteous thoughts. As a result, the practitioner’s illness gradually vanished. This shows the process of helping fellow practitioners is a self-cultivation process.
A Peaceful and Compassionate Atmosphere Can Help Practitioners
From February 8 – 12, 2023, I was the only person sending righteous thoughts at Awei’s home in the afternoon. Later, a practitioner from the village joined me. At that time, Awei was very weak and had trouble breathing.
On the first day, when I first raised my palm, I felt something cold envelop me. I recited the formula aloud and by my second attempt at sending forth righteous thoughts, the feeling vanished.
Another day, I joined two other practitioners to send forth righteous thoughts for Awei. She had been calmly watching a video of Master’s lecture. When we lifted our palms in the upright position, she began to cry in pain. As we continued to send forth righteous thoughts, her pain vanished, and she stopped crying. This shows righteous thoughts have an effect in destroying the corrupt things interfering with practitioners. Within days, her breathing became smoother.
One day, five of us sent righteous thoughts. However, there was no improvement in her condition and she still had trouble breathing. Two days later, practitioner Deng came to join me. She said she observed some persistent attachments in Awei, and worriedly asked me what to do. I shared with her examples of how we could help Awei.
I had to leave and could only communicate with practitioners through email. I said the best way for us to help her was to place her fate in Master’s hands, while we continued to help her according to the Fa. Whenever we saw her attachments, we should search within ourselves and send forth righteous thoughts to help her. After a while, practitioner Ying came to visit and insisted on pointing out Awei’s attachments. I became impatient.
The following day, I visited Awei’s home and saw her lying in bed, panting breathlessly. Her family said that she had not slept well. I blamed myself for generating bad thoughts, causing interference which worsened her karmic field.
Some practitioners claim to feel discomfort after helping send forth righteous thoughts for practitioners suffering from sickness karma. Personally, I think they should examine themselves. What is your motive for helping fellow practitioners? Are you proactive or passive? Are you helping out of human emotions or compassion? If you consider the persecution of a fellow practitioner equivalent to the evil persecuting practitioners as a whole, and you desire to eliminate this evil, then your motivating factor is consideration of others, and you will receive Master’s support. What evil would dare to cause trouble? Additionally, all incorrect states will naturally be corrected in this compassionate field.
Practitioner’s Attachment Mirrors Mine
One rainy afternoon, I decided to go to Awei’s home, as I would not be able to visit her for a few days. That afternoon, I was the only practitioner who visited her. Although I continually sent forth righteous thoughts, she was still in pain.
That night, my mood remained heavy even after returning home. I thought, “Awei is so afraid of pain, how can she pass this hurdle? Moreover, she lives far from the urban area, a location few practitioners go to. What to do? If she is unable to pass this hurdle...” Similar negative thoughts continued to circle in my head.
While I was reading the Fa that night, I wondered why I felt uncomfortable. Perhaps because I looked outwards when I thought about Awei’s failings—I failed to examine myself. She feared suffering. Was it the same for me? I realized it was the case, and in fact my fear was quite intense. I turned off my alarm clock after it rang each morning so I could go back to sleep. If the weather was cold, I read the Fa in bed, wrapped in a warm quilt. Yet practitioners whose third eyes were open saw in other dimensions beings kneeling respectfully while listening to Master’s lectures.
After searching within, I realized Master arranged to show me my failings through Awei.
I had been fooled by this false illusion, that made me think Awei was afraid of enduring suffering. In fact, her true self is assimilated to the characteristics of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and I should help her eliminate the interference.
To quote another practitioner, “Helping fellow practitioners overcome illness karma is not about us helping them improve, but about them helping us improve.”
Examining My Thoughts and Finding the Root Cause
After February 17, my schedule did not permit me to visit Awei, so Ying agreed to take over. Seeing her urgent desire to help Awei, I was worried and repeatedly reminded her, “Entrust Awei’s situation to Master and remember to cultivate yourself.” Ying complained and said I was nagging. Another practitioner told me, “You should examine your ego.”
I knew I certainly have attachments to ego, and I often insist on my opinion. Even while helping fellow practitioners, everyone continues to cultivate. Even if my understanding is correct, and fellow practitioners do not realize it, they still must undergo the process of enlightening. If the others are unable to perceive Master’s efforts to enlighten them, then my efforts to help would still be futile.
In addition, everyone has their own attachments they need to let go of. Everyone is cultivating in delusion. Whatever the level of enlightenment, Master will arrange for it accordingly. We just need to let things take their natural course and let go of all our attachments. From this incident, I realized the root cause was my lack of faith in Master and the Fa.
[Editor’s note: This article only represents the author’s understanding in their current cultivation state meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare with one another in study, in cultivation.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)]
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Category: Improving Oneself
